Tanaka, who has been sidelined since July 9 with a partial tear of the UCL in his right elbow, threw 35 pitches over two innings of batting practice to Zelous Wheeler and Brendan Ryan on Saturday morning. He threw all of his pitches and could throw a simulated game as he takes the next step towards a return.

“We have 21 games in 20 days so we are going to have to use six starters at some point,” said Rothschild. “So I think everyone in baseball is going to look for alternative ways to keep guys healthy. If that’s part of what is on the radar, you look at it and consider it.”

Tanaka went on the disabled list as an early candidate for the American League Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards, sporting a 12-4 record with a 2.51 ERA and a 135/19 K/BB ratio in 129 1/3 innings across 18 starts.